Paper strikes a workplace chord

Published Sat 26 Jan 2002

Issue No. 1784

Campaigning against New Labour's attacks on the NHS, Socialist Worker sellers received a great reception. On Saturday Manchester sold 187 copies of Socialist Worker, while in north London 80 were sold in Wood Green and 71 in Dalston.

In Manchester three new SWP members joined the sale. One of them, Rees, said, 'It was a really good experience.' Beccy, who is a school student, had sold eight papers before the sale, six at school and two to her mum's friends.

The exposé on TUC attacks on the left in last week's Socialist Worker drew a lot of interest from union activists. In Merseyside comrades sold 17 papers to a meeting of 22 NUT reps and 29 at a public sector housing conference. At Copperas Hill sorting office they sold 11 copies with posties coming back out of the office after seeing the article to get more papers.

In Northampton 11 UNISON members were out petitioning against cuts in the town centre. All of them bought a copy of Socialist Worker. Comrades at work in Manchester got a brilliant response. Geoff reports that he sold 15 papers at a city-wide reps meeting and 20 at a reps meeting in London. Rita, an early years worker, sold 21 papers at two GMB meetings. In Norwich they sold four at the rail depot to Aslef drivers who put the article on the TUC up on the mess room wall.